What Makes A Hero Tick
by DragonsWillFly
Summary: Isabela has often wondered why Hawke saves people all the time. Was it the way she was raised as a child? Or is there other reasons? And why does Merrill keep insisting that Hawke saves Isabela more than anyone else? One-shot! M for language to be safe!


_**What Makes A Hero Tick**_

_**Author's note: I decided to write this little one-shot simply to jog my brain... lately I have been having a bout of writer's block. And it has been an uphill battle to get the couple of chapters I have posted out this past month. But this... was a very quick one-shot for me to type out (Only two hours) so hopefully my writer's block is nearing its end. I hope you all enjoy! Also, I put this as a (f) Hawke and Isabela story but alas... Hawke isn't in it. But she is mentioned... a lot!  
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_**Summary: **Isabela has often wondered what made Hawke act the way she does. Was it her family life? Was it an innate reaction towards circumstances that she was thrown into? Or was there simply something else that drove the rogue to place herself in mortal danger to save others... which Isabela often finds herself being the one that is always at the receiving end of the saving. As many can tell this leads up to the scene where Isabela talks about actually falling for Hawke.  
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"So... Kitten." Isabela says as she stares at the Dalish mage, "Do you know why Hawke does what she does? I mean, you do spend an awful lot of time with Bethany... so I thought maybe she has told you something about her sister."

The lithe elf looks at the pirate, confusion marring her face. "What do you mean by that? I mean Hawke does loads of things... as do you. As do all of us for that matter. We all walk and talk and eat and drink and..." Merrill stops speaking and glances down at the dusty floor of the Hanged Man. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling again."

Isabela places a hand on Merrill's arm, causing the mage to look up briefly. "It's quite all-right, Kitten. I should have been more specific. I mean why does Hawke constantly have this urge to save everyone? It's a bit maddening if you think about it. If it was about money, then I can definitely understand. But half the bloody time she denies the reward!" The pirate shakes her head and sighs. "Just last week she saved some Hightown blighter from the Corterie and told him that she couldn't accept the reward! And do you know how much he offered her? Twenty-five bloody sovereigns! If I didn't know her, I would have thought she was bloody mad!"

"But... Isabela. You know since we came back from the Deep Roads expedition, all those years before, Hawke doesn't need any more money. Just the finding of that Thaig set her up for several years. Also, have you ever thought that maybe she likes saving people to be nice?"

Isabela stifles a laugh, "Merrill, that is a sweet thought, but I think that Hawke would rather save someone for coin than for the thrill of being nice. And besides no one does anything just for the sake of being nice... well, except maybe you Kitten."

"Well... how about all the times she has saved you, Isabela?" Merrill stares at her untouched drink and leans down, slightly sniffing the inside of the cup. "Ew. How can you drink this stuff all the time?"

Unable to contain her laughter any longer, the pirate queen lets out raucous guffaw. Several moments later and tears streaming down her cheeks, Isabela finally spoke. "Aww, Kitten. You do know how to make a girl laugh." Wiping the tears of mirth off her face, the pirate relaxes more into her chair. "It takes time, but you do get used to the taste." She takes up her tankard and downs nearly half its contents in one quick motion. "Also, if you drink it fast... the taste of rat droppings goes away."

"Ew." The mage scrunches her face up in disgust. Shaking the thought of Isabela's last statement out of her mind, Merrill clears her throat. "You never answered my last question... or should I say the question before the last one about Hawke."

Mentally cursing herself for not steering the elf completely away from the topic of her and their beautiful rogue leader, Isabela decides to stall the question a bit longer. "What ever do you mean, Merrill? She has saved you, as well as Bethany, Varric, and of course who can forget the time she saved Big Girl from the giant spider. By the Maker, I thought the woman-shaped battering ram was going to piss herself that day! And besides, Hawke has never expected you to repay her has she?"

"Well... no... it's just that I heard her tell you yesterday, after she saved you from that mountain of a bandit, that you owed her big time. Is it like how you owe, Corrf, whenever you tell him to put it on your tab?"

"Uh... not exactly Kitten. What Hawke meant was... oh, bloody hell. Yes, it is something similar to that." Isabela says as she tries to extinguish the thoughts of how her payback to Hawke was absolutely in no way similar to how she pays Corrf back. And the pirate would never ever think to pay the barkeep the same way she does their leader.

"Well, you must like owing Hawke a lot, because she seems to be saving you more and more as the days go by. And I never knew you had to be saved from a blanket just last week. Was the blanket being possessed? No. I don't think a blanket could be possessed. When she said blanket do you think she meant net? But why would a net be in Hawke's estate?"

Isabela could feel herself become hot with embarrassment. _'Why did she have to say something like that in front of Kitten? She knows how curious the elf is... I bet she knew Merrill would come to me and talk to me about it.' _

The pirate feels her heart stop when she sees the look of realisation dawn on the little blood mage's face. "I know why she said that now... it's something dirty right?" The elf's face brightens even more. "It is! It is something dirty! Oh tell me, Isabela!"

"There is really nothing to tell Kitten..." The pirate glances around the tavern to find something that could possibly take the mage's attention off of her. "I got really besotted while I was at Hawke's place and I spent the night. I guess when I woke up, I was still a bit drunk and thought something had trapped me... when in fact it was the bloody blanket Hawke let me borrow." _'As well as Hawke lying on top of me.' _

Disappointment marked a path through the elf's face at hearing that it was nothing dirty or scandalous that happened between the two people she thought were so very perfect for one another. "Oh... but why is Hawke always placing herself in danger for you more than anyone else in our group? I mean, the Arishok could have cut her in half several time over during their duel... she even did come away with some really nasty scars after that fight." Merrill sits in her chair contemplating something that has entered her mind, while Isabela squirms in her seat thinking about that night, three years before, that Hawke had risked her very life to save the pirate's.

Before her mind could completely depress her, Isabela's morbid thoughts are lifted from her by Merrill's joyful voice. "You know... I was just thinking... I am right. There is absolutely no one else in our group, besides maybe Bethany of course, that Hawke has actually put her life on the line for except for you. Do you think she loves you?" The elf looks at the pirate, her eyes filled with hope and happiness.

Isabela stands up and stretches, "I don't think so Kitten. We have nothing in common. She now lives in Hightown and I am nothing more than a pirate captain without a ship." The swashbuckler's heart clenches as the next words flow out of her mouth. "And besides... I don't do love. Now Kitten, I think it is time to get you home. It is very late and I will not allow you to leave by yourself. Do you want me to take you home or do you want me to get Varric to take you home?" Isabela says as she eyes the dwarf in question walking down the stairs from his room towards the two women.

Hearing the last part of the women's conversation, Varric smiles at them. "I guess I will take Daisy home, Rivaini. You obviously look like you got too much shit to think about to even pay attention to what would be going on around you. Come on, let's get out of here so Rivaini can think or get over her hangover or whatever the hell is going on with her." Varric offers his arm to Merrill, who loops hers through his, and they walk out together leaving Isabela alone in her thoughts.

_'I must be drunk... otherwise why else would I be thinking about this shit that Merrill was saying? Yeah that's it...no more Antivan Brandy for me.' _Isabela walks up the stairs into the room she has let for the past several years, closing the door silently behind her. Laying down on the firm horse-hair mattress, she stares at the wooden planks of the ceiling above her. _'Surely after telling Hawke that all that could happen between us was lust, plain and simple, she wouldn't go and catch feelings for me, right? I mean I was very specific... no stay overs after sex. Oh bloody hell... I did stay over that night and a couple weeks ago. Shit. Blast it all to buggery hell! Maybe it isn't just Hawke that has feelings for me... maybe I may feel a bit of something for her as well. Damn. Damn. Damn. That is why she does it! And it is the reason why I let her rescue me all the bloody time! She is in love with me and I am in love with her! Andraste's arse! Now how to tell her without Hawke saying I told you so!"_


End file.
